Show WHAT WINS IN THE WEST Most persons in the East seem to think the only way u stranger can get along in the small towns and boom camps of the West Is to make a gunplay gun-play said Elmer D Frank who has seen nearly all phases of life in the restless section west of the Missouri river I believe Eastern magazine writers who take a cursory survey of the country are responsible for this false Impression The real passport among the oldtime Westerners was pluck whether itwaa backed up by l t bixshcoter or not Of course a good game cf bluff went a long waybut the time came when a man had to make good and u coward even if he had a Catling gun might as well vamoose I the ranch I In the early QOs I was interested I I In a mining prospect up near the head I of Wood river south of the Yellowstone Yellow-stone forest reserve My partners and I I decided to send a Scotch miner named I Graham to do the assessment work on I the claims Graham took his wife I along and built a cabin a few hundred II I feet below timber line and performed I the necessary assessment work single handed He was up there several I months and patronized a store in Mee tcetse about thirty miles away He i received good wages and an ample allowance al-lowance for supplies but he was improvident im-provident and soon ran into debt He received several duns from Ron Thomas Butler three oldtimers who van the combination grocery and saloon I sa-loon In Meeteotse but paid no attention atten-tion to the demands When his bill ran up to 50 he received re-ceived a call from all three members of the linn 1 They had no idea they would be able to collect the account but they were determined to take it out of his hide They did Graham was about as badly battered as a man could be and still hold together Morel More-l than that he and his wife spent n night of terror inside their cabin The enraged creditors not satisfied with the drubbing they had given the delinquent r de-linquent shot up the house from the outside Graham and his wife overturned over-turned their bed and utilized it as a barricade Every minute or two one of their tormentors would appear at a window and shoot wildly Into the room About dawn they rode away down the mountain cQwn Graham came to me at my ranch in the Big Horn basin and told me his troubles Ont of my partners In the mining venture was there when he ar Didnt you fight back Graham my partner asked Hoot an whut could I do exclaimed ex-claimed Graham helplessly They knocked me down an broke my ribs When I got oop an looked around there mood was me whiskers lyin l In the moodWell Well thats enough interrupted my partner J thats all the nerve you have well send somebody else to work the claim We decided to go up to Meetcetso and settle with the men who had beaten Graham and afterward to pay our bill But when the time came my partner could not KO and I had to make tho trip ulone So one morning I arrived in Mpeteelsu and registered my name boldly on u little dogeared l cashbook in the only hotel In the Place Horr Thomas Butler must have been expecting me for I barely had gone outside to look at the village lag I J from the front of the hotel when I received a slap on the shoulder that nearly knocked me down I tUned and saw a rawboned giant more than six feet tall grinning down at me I was Ilorr He bad a habit of smiling smiing I at people even when he expected to olioot the next moment Hello thar he bawled flint yore name Frank Yes I replied Well my name s Horr an Ive ben t hatin you worst nter two months Same right back at you Ilorr I retorted only Ive been hating you only about two weeks ever since you 1 beat UD Graham J L Hawhawl laughed Horr Now 1 L we onderstnnd one another we kin go over an talk it out with the boys I wasnt particularly anxious to go over to his establishment for I knew It meant a fight against big odds but I wasnt in a position to refuse When we reached the saloon we found Thomas Thom-as and Butler had about a dozen other men there Horrs Introduction was brief and to the point Boys yeres Frank an I dont low him as we need take no back talk from The two others evidently agreed with him but they did not care to push the matter to an issue Immediately Imme-diately I was necessary to make a little investigation and it was personally person-ally conducted by Horr While around a-round of drinks was being served he came up to me and tapped me for weapons wea-pons He found a 32 Smith Wesson In my right hip pocket A trusty 14 Colts In my belt in front he overlooked over-looked He took out the 32 looked it over contemptuously and remarked Whatever would you do with that popgun I use that to kill prairie dogs I replied About all its good fer he commented com-mented but I noticed that he didnt return re-turn the gun to me I For a few minutes everything was I as pleasant as could be Hon and his partners grew quite Jovial over their tlelr liquor and appeared to take quite a fancy to me In fact Horr voiced the friendly sentiment He turned to me and forth with n slap on the back bellowed Frank you r like you He uttered the offsensivc term In the most genial manner and smiled as he spoke But I knew his purpose and I saw it was up to me to make good then and there Horr I snld drawing away from his friendly embrace I have a boy at home When I sent him to school I told him never to permit any one to apply that term to him without lighting light-ing till he dropped I wont give him any orders I wont carry out myself You will apologize or well have It outright out-right here The crowd was with me in this and Thomas was the spokesman Frank shore Is right he Interposed Inter-posed You didnt have no call to use no sech language Youd better take it back I All right said Horr with the expansive ex-pansive smile still on his face Ill take I back but loopy yere he added turning to me I want you to onder sland that I dont take It back because I think youie u better man than what I be beThat That made matters Just as bad as they were before I was worse than no apology and It was plainly Horrs trick to come to a lest of physical force I could feel my old 41 still at my belt where I could rip It out In a twinkling and was certain I could I surprise the big fellow v That may be as you say Eon I returned But I want you to leo I that If you hadnt apologized you would have gone right out over the transom of that door Horr looked < at me then at the i transom and took a final glance over his ponderous frame I It strikes me he said Avllh lI wl another an-other of his deep guffaws that would be a mighty big ondertnkln1 I was the crucial moment I backed up to the door and raised my right hand above my head until the lips of my fingers touched the transom tran-som Then I went up to him find shook my fist under his nose 4IIorr I said as deliberately as my anger would permit that transom Isnt an inch higher than I had figured on For a moment It looked as though I would have to carry out my threat But Butler spoke up from behind the bar 41 Hold on thar boys he shouted Say Horr you nint got Graham to deal with this trip Lets call the whole deal oft an Up a fresh keg And we did Our illfeeling soon was forogttcn and an hour or so later Horr came up and shook hands Say I want to know how you was goin to put me over the transom he asked with the same old smile I would have tapped you over the head with the butt of this and thrown you out And I showed him the 4 ho had overlooked I guess mebbe you would he commented com-mented But say the next time yo + t ore out MeeteetHe way let us know an well git a brass band to meet you Youre our kind Now York Press |